1996 RHI season
Hugo Belanger (Long Island Jawz) | MVP_link = | top_scorer = Hugo Belanger (Long Island Jawz) | top_scorer_link = | playoffs =Playoffs | playoffs_link =1996 Murphy Cup playoffs | conf1 =Eastern | conf1_link =Eastern Conference (RHI) | conf1_champ =Orlando Jackals | conf1_runner-up =St. Louis Vipers | conf2 =Western | conf2_link =Western Conference (RHI) | conf2_champ =Anaheim Bullfrogs | conf2_runner-up =Vancouver Voodoo | finals =Murphy Cup | finals_link =1996 Murphy Cup Finals | finals_champ =Orlando Jackals | finals_runner-up =Anaheim Bullfrogs | playoffs_MVP = Bill Horn (Orlando) | playoffs_MVP_link= |nextseason_year = 1997 |prevseason_year = 1995 | seasonslistnames =RHI }} The 1996 RHI season was the 4th season of Roller Hockey International. It began in May 1996, with the regular season ending on August 12, 1996. The Murphy Cup playoffs ended on September 2, with the Orlando Jackals defeating the Anaheim Bullfrogs to win their first Murphy Cup. The Anaheim Bullfrogs hosted the 3rd RHI All-Star Game at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California on July 8, 1996. League business Franchise changes Arena changes The Montreal Roadrunners, Ottawa Loggers, and Vancouver Voodoo all moved into their cities' new arenas; Molson Centre in Montreal, Corel Centre in Ottawa, and General Motors Place in Vancouver. The Oakland Skates also moved to the Kaiser Convention Center. The New Jersey Rockin Rollers' and Philadelphia Bulldogs' arenas were renamed to the Continental Airlines Arena and CoreStates Spectrum respectively. New uniforms The Orlando Rollergators were renamed the Orlando Jackals and debuted a new logo and uniforms. The Sacramento River Rats and Vancouver Voodoo both debuted slightly altered uniforms. Contraction The Chicago Cheetahs folded after two seasons in the league. The Detroit Motor City Mustangs and Minnesota Blue Ox folded after only one season in the league. The Buffalo Stampede folded after their second season, and their roster was picked up by the Empire State Cobras, formerly the Phoenix Cobras. Relocation The Phoenix Cobras relocated to Glens Falls, New York to become the Empire State Cobras, but the Phoenix Cobras players did not transfer with the franchise. The players went into a supplemental draft, and the Cobras picked up the folded Buffalo Stampede's roster. Expansion The league added three franchises, including the Denver Daredevils, Long Island Jawz, and the Minnesota Arctic Blast, who were on hiatus for the 1995 season. Realignment In the Atlantic Division, the Montreal Roadrunners and Ottawa Loggers were moved to the Central Division. The three existing franchises, the New Jersey Rockin Rollers, Orlando Jackals (formerly the Orlando Rollergators), and Philadelphia Bulldogs were joined by the Empire State Cobras, formerly the Phoenix Cobras, and the expansion Long Island Jawz, to bring the total back to five teams. In the Central Division, the Buffalo Stampede, Chicago Cheetahs, Detroit Motor City Mustangs, and Minnesota Blue Ox all folded before the 1996 season. The only remaining franchise, the St. Louis Vipers, were joined by the Montreal Roadrunners and Ottawa Loggers from the Atlantic, and the newly reformed Minnesota Arctic Blast, lowering the division's teams to four. The Northwest Division was the only division to remain the same from the 1995 season. In the Pacific Division, the Empire State Cobras, formerly the Phoenix Cobras, were moved to the Atlantic Division. The remaining four teams, the Anaheim Bullfrogs, Los Angeles Blades, Oklahoma Coyotes, and San Diego Barracudas were joined by the expansion Denver Daredevils to bring the total number of teams back to five. Season schedule RHI again increased its regular season schedule from 24 to 28 games per team. Regular season Divisional standings Eastern Conference Western Conference Note: x''' – clinched playoff spot, '''y – clinched division title, z''' – clinched regular season conference title, '''b – clinched best overall record, e – eliminated from playoff contention Tiebreaking procedures If two or more clubs are tied in points during the regular season, the ranking of the clubs is determined in the following order: #The fewer number of games played. #The greater number of games won. #The greater number of points earned in games between the tied clubs. If two clubs are tied, and have not played an equal number of home games against each other, points earned in the first game played in the city that had the extra game shall not be included. If more than two clubs are tied, the higher percentage of available points earned in games among those clubs, and not including any "odd" games, shall be used to determine the standing. #The greater differential between goals for and against for the entire regular season. #The fewer number of goals against. Statistical leaders Scoring leaders Leading goaltenders Playoffs Playoff seeds After the regular season, 8 teams qualified for the playoffs. The Anaheim Bullfrogs were the Western Conference regular season champions and had the best overall record with 46 points. The Minnesota Arctic Blast had the best record in the Eastern Conference with 44 points. Eastern Conference Atlantic Division #Empire State Cobras – Atlantic Division champions, 37 points #Orlando Jackals – 36 points Central Division #Minnesota Arctic Blast – Central Division and Eastern Conference regular season champions, 44 points #St. Louis Vipers – 31 points* *St. Louis finished with exactly the same number of points as the Montreal Roadrunners, but garnered more wins (the Vipers with 15, the Roadrunners with 14), to earn the 2nd spot. Western Conference Northwest Division #Vancouver Voodoo – Northwest Division champions, 39 points #Oakland Skates – 32 points Pacific Division #Anaheim Bullfrogs – Pacific Division and Western Conference regular season champions; Best Overall Record winners, 46 points #Los Angeles Blades – 33 points Playoff bracket In each round, the higher-seeded team is awarded home floor advantage. In the Murphy Cup Finals, home floor is determined based on regular season points. Each best-of-three series follows a 1–2 format: the lower-seeded team will play at home for game 1, and the higher-seeded team will be at home for game 2 and 3 (if necessary). RHI awards See also * Season structure of RHI * 1996 Murphy Cup playoffs * 1996 RHI Draft * 1995 RHI season * 1996 RHI transactions * 3nd Roller Hockey International All-Star Game * Roller Hockey International All-Star Game * 1996 in sports Category:Roller Hockey International Category:1996 in sports de:Roller Hockey International 1996